Table of Contents for April issue

I clearly remember the time and energy i put into landing my first decent kingfish. I was fishing solo in my old man’s dinghy, surface livebaiting a jack mackerel over a shallow reef.

Mixing business with pleasure is never to be scoffed at, and for this fishing scribe it simply doesn’t get much better than a five-day ‘work’ trip to the three kings islands. Beyond the reach of all but the most wellequipped trailerboats (and wellendowed trailerboat skippers), this group of 13 islands, innumerable reefs and rocky outcrops, and offshore banks and drop-offs, needs no introduction for many in the kiwi fishing fraternity. Located 30 nautical miles northwest of ca

Blue water adventures, based out of whangaroa in northland, has been creating unforgettable memories for both kiwis and international visitors for decades. Blessed with great fishing on their doorstep, the team offers a wide range of charter options from day trips to long-range, offshore voyages.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, i was fortunate enough to experience the tremendous fishing in the waters surrounding mayor island with local fishing identity rod sherman, who at the time skippered the tauranga-based charter boat pasador.

Is it just me or do the very best adventures come about at the very last minute? Fishing for bluefin tuna has been on my bucket list since i was a young fella, so when nick called me on a wednesday morning with an opportunity to chase them out from milford sound, i couldn’t say yes fast enough. The only catch was that the optimal moon phase coinciding with the best weather window was on saturday and sunday – just 60 hours away. Typically, this wouldn’t be a major predicament,

One lucky attendee at the 2024 hutchwilco new zealand boat show will score the ultimate prize: a jawdropping surtees/yamaha boat package worth over $300,000!

The tourism industry in niue is celebrating the news that air new zealand is re-introducing a twice-weekly service, departing auckland on a tuesday and saturday from april 2, 2024.

Transpower is reminding boaties and users of cook strait of the undersea electricity and data cables that connect the south and north islands.

Lowrance, a world leader in fishing electronics since 1957, today announced eagle, the latest offering in the brand’s entrylevel fishfinder/chartplotter lineup.

The countdown is on - The Prize Boat is here.

Piccata is a classic, zesty italian sauce. Featuring lemon, butter and capers, it’s typically used on chicken or veal – but it’s awesome on fish, too! This is a super quick and easy fish steak dish. We used kingfish fillets, but you can utilise any fillets you have on hand.

The kai ika project is a non-profit initiative bringing communities together to share previously underutilised fish parts, to reduce waste and feed the community while conserving fish for future generations.

Last year, kaikōura locals collected less than 3% of the total amount of pāua exported to foreign shores. These pāua were enjoyed by kiwi families and friends. Meanwhile, more than 500,000 kilos of pāua are exported from new zealand every year. China receives over half of these exports. Serving pāua in overseas restaurants is obviously taking priority over feeding kiwis.

New zealand, a country just north of the furious 50s, is a series of small islands perched precariously on a volcanic fault line and more than 1,000 nautical miles from its nearest neighbours. We pride ourselves on our wild coastlines and incredible marine life. This is what attracts tourists from around the globe. Yet, a lot of kiwis can’t even collect their own local kaimoana and feed their families.

If you enjoy tossing a line out and sharing kaimoana, you may be starting to feel the pinch of increasing costs. What should have been a summer out on the water reeling in fish is becoming less of a reality and more of a vague memory.

Photo competition 2023/24

It sounded like a car falling into the sea from a great height, snapping me from momentary distraction back into focus. What the hell?!

Food for thought

East coast kayaking

Catching albacore tuna off the coast of taranaki has become the highlight of my kayak fishing year.

Part 2

Central otago is a hot place in summer.

An electric combo to conquer the deep

Introducing the best value-formoney surf reel currently on the market, the beastmaster 14000xc. Newly upgraded from its predecessor, the spool capacity and size has increased to a 14000 size that can take 400m of 8kg mono and packs 20kg of drag. Meanwhile, the addition of silent drive has removed any back play in the gearing system, and super slow 5 oscillation will produce perfect line lay every time. Strapped to your favourite shimano surf rod, the bm14000xc really packs a

With cyclone season safely behind us, we are seeing more settled weather and managing to get the gear wet most days, which is great!

Good fish are being landed wide of fale faa and northeast of apia fad. Team troppo reports that, after being a bit patchy during february, march saw yellowfin tuna catches steadily improving, with fish to 55kg being landed.

A rule change has been made to adjust the way minimum legal size for packhorse rock lobster is measured.